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He shrugged. “Tis not great, but it worked out. He won the battle and recaptured Edinburgh castle in 1314. And more importantly, we are all still here. This is often a question when ye see anomalies in the historical record: did we alter anything important? But as long as the kings and queens are still here, and we are, it canna hae been too bad. But that is the consideration, if ye give Bruce a weapon, does he change the world?”

I looked down at my ale. “So what I’m trying to understand, you’re saying that Magnus, a king of Riaghalbane, asked you, a prince, to come back here and rescue me, a princess….?”

“Aye… All yer descendants, conspirin’ tae get ye home. I was the one who got tae take the journey though, twas harrowing but look at ye, young and beautiful, just married — pleased tae hae done it.”

“But… why didn’t anyone help my parents when they were…” I gulped. “Murdered by a usurper? Max and I were orphaned. Torin had to murder the usurper in a battle. He almost died. Now we find out that there are all these princes and kings who could have helped, but chose not to?”

Artair frowned leaning forward, he patted the back of my hand. “Och nae, Princess Alexandria, tis nae… I am sorry ye lost yer parents, yer story is a tragedy, but there is naething we could do tae help against the usurper. In my life, it had already happened a century before I was born. Twas in the history books of the kingdom, I couldna leave my life and go back and change⁠—”

“But you’re a time traveler, you have a vessel, you could go back!”

“Tis not how it works…” He shook his head sadly. “Ye canna ask the descendants tae go back and rescue their ancestors, they might change the circumstances that brought them tae life.”

Torin said, “He is right, mo leannan, children canna sacrifice for their parents. That is why ye canna intervene, because twould mean ye would never be born. Ye canna do it.”

Artair said, “And the kings never interfere with the kings that came before them, they would amass too much power.”

I said, “But they’re intervening right now, right?

Artair said, “Ye arna on yer timeline, ye are on the wrong timeline. I am here tae help ye get back tae yer rightful time. I winna be changin’ our history, but leavin’ ye here, trapped, might.”

I sighed. “This is honestly disappointing, you would think with all this power we could save my parents.”

Torin said, “We canna save them without losing ye, and losing us. Call me selfish, I am nae… I canna even think on it.”

Artair said, “I urge ye tae take it from yer mind, there are generations that follow ye. Yer life is important tae them, yer great grandchildren want ye tae live.”

“I didn’t think of that way…. So I do have children, how many?”

Just then Dude jumped up on the table and nudged Torin’s hand.

Artair said, “Och, this is yer ginger cat?”

Torin and I nodded.

Dude put his foot on a spoon and knocked it skittering down the table. He jumped on it and looked around proudly.

Torin held his hand above Dude and got him to raise up on his hind legs.

Artair smiled. “He looks like the lion of Alba, what a glorious wee lion.” Then he said, “I winna tell ye of yer children, Princess Alexandria. Ye daena want tae spoil yer future, but I will tell ye this, many of us sit in the shade of yer family tree.”

He added, “And if ye think on it, they sit in the shade of yer parents’ part of the tree as well, perhaps that will bring ye solace.”

I nodded. “That’s lovely… and weird. You are not much older than I. And if you’re a prince, in line to the throne, what does that mean for my descendants and Max’s… wait, where is Max? Why isn’t he here with you?”

“Because yer brother, King Maximillian, is still in the hospital and I am tae take ye there tae speak tae him.”

Torin said, “Och nae! Tis dire?”

“I daena ken, I am tae get ye and bring ye home.”

I said, “What are we waiting for then, we ought tae go.” In unison we picked up our drinks and drained the cups.

We gathered our things while Artair paid our bill, then met him out on the road where he had gathered all of our horses. He said, “As soon as we get a bit away from the village I can turn on my lamp, and we daena need tae go far, just a bit away so the storm daena hit directly here.”

I said, “Makes sense,” and climbed up on Mustang’s saddle.

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